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So, cats. They're basically the official animal of the internet. They're generally easier to train and take care of than, say, a dog; coupled with their all-around cuteness, this trait makes them an ideal pet (or, as some would say, the cat's meow) for many families. Sure, they can be ornery bastards, but that's part of the charm.

Well, at least for us. Let's just say that mother nature isn't so smitten with kittens.

Scientists have identified a shocking new truth: cats are far deadlier than anyone realized.

In a report that scaled up local surveys and pilot studies to national dimensions, scientists from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and the Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that domestic cats in the United States — both the pet Fluffies that spend part of the day outdoors and the unnamed strays and ferals that never leave it — kill a median of 2.4 billion birds and 12.3 billion mammals a year, most of them native mammals like shrews, chipmunks and voles rather than introduced pests like the Norway rat.

The estimated kill rates are two to four times higher than mortality figures previously bandied about, and position the domestic cat as one of the single greatest human-linked threats to wildlife in the nation. More birds and mammals die at the mouths of cats, the report said, than from automobile strikes, pesticides and poisons, collisions with skyscrapers and windmills and other so-called anthropogenic causes.

That's right: Kittens are the purrfect exterminators - and it's a serious cat-astrophe.

Okay, sorry. Now that those are out of my system, let's continue.

A fierce debate is raging between animal rights activists and environmentalists over what to do. While both sides agree that letting cats roam free is wildly irresponsible and damaging, what comes next is the big sticking point. Some have even proposed a gradual culling of the nation's cat population. Of course, with so many attached to their cuddly super predators, any such proposals would face one hell of a fight.

The nation may be forced to decide which it values most: its fragile native ecosystems or the image macro-based economy of the internet. Hopefully a compromise can be reached sometime in the near future.

Well, this is sort of depressing. Why don't you play us off, Keyboard Ca- oh. Oh. Uh... this is awkward.

Yup. For two years I've had an abundance of rabbits and squirrels on this property, then we got two cats and the rabbits are rarely found anywhere around here anymore. Except when the cats feel like dragging them to our doorstep. Gross.

Heard this on the radio last night. I lol'd.
There's not much that can be done, except getting rid of strays. But there's still a crapton of outdoor housecats.
They'll never curb the amount of housecats.

I've always walked my cats on a leash, works perfectly fine. Still let them catch some of the mice around here, but birds and other things are off limits. And won't let them chase the mice around too much either, would be quite hard to keep up with kitty then <-<

It's a recent concern in the United States. Which is what the article (and my post) are talking about. Australia may have a similar situation (I've never seen it reported, probably because I don't happen to live there), but that's not the focus here.

Also, as for the Reddit thing - I fully admit I find a lot of the articles through Reddit. If I see something cool/interesting/worthy of sharing, I post it here (with some lame puns and jokes thrown in the mix, of course). That's pretty much how it's always been. I hardly think that really qualifies as mirroring, though.

People are stupid and they're looking at this all wrong. Has anyone thought its a GOOD thing that they're killing all of these things? look at it this way if the cats didn't kill these animals then we'd have a crap load of rats and birds and whatever else roaming the place.

The way I see it everything's equal, cats kill shit, shit reproduces(rats have how many babies per litter? 20 or so? srsly) and the cycle continues. If you think there's fewer birds or rats or whatever else in the world just look outside cause they're freakin EVERYWHERE.

Yup. For two years I've had an abundance of rabbits and squirrels on this property, then we got two cats and the rabbits are rarely found anywhere around here anymore. Except when the cats feel like dragging them to our doorstep. Gross.

Pretty good exterminators.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, they don't kill rats. They prefer to kill cuter, harmless animals that are absolutely no threat to people. Big rats tend to fight back, so I guess it's fair to assume cats don't want a fight -- they want murder. LOL